WHERE ARE YOU CHARLIE?

NOW - CHAPTER 16

"Zoe..." Somebody was shaking me.

"Hmm..." I had the impression to have been run over as every little move hurt.

"They are coming back..." This time, I recognized Cole's deep voice.

Cole.

My eyes snapped open and surely enough, here he was, holding me in his arms in the cage his uncle's men had thrown me in. He was all bruised up and he winced when I reached for his swollen cheekbone.

We were suddenly blinded by the same powerful spots that had been aimed at me the last time they'd come down the club's basement.

It suddenly occurred to me that I had no clue how long I'd been asleep or what day it was.

"So you really like my nephew, then..." Mr. Bradford's disgust was hard to miss and when I went to sit up, Cole tightened his hold on me to help me up before lifting me out of his lap next to him so that we were soon both sitting with our backs against the wall of the cage.

"I do, Sir..." I admitted with my chin held high despite the stinging pain it sent to my throat.

"Well, you shouldn't like him and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure the two of you hate one another by the time you leave this basement." His cold determination sent chills to my spine.

"I don't want you to hurt Cole, Sir..." I pleaded, even though it sounded more like a demand than like a plea with my broken voice. I was so thirsty.

The door of the cage was opened violently and Mr. Bradford was suddenly standing threateningly in front of us.

"Oh you don't want me to hurt Cole!?" He exclaimed before kicking his nephew in the stomach. I instantly jumped on Cole to protect him from his uncle. Mr. Bradford grabbed my hair and tried to pull me away from Cole but I held onto him as if my life depended on it.

So he started to kick me in the back and to punch me.

"Let go of me..." Cole muttered weakly. "I'm not worth it..." His sadness tugged at my heart and his words had the opposite effect.

"I'm the one who should be punished for coming here, not Cole..." I called out above my shoulder when he finally stopped kicking me. He was breathing heavily from beating me up and I braced myself for more blows, only they never came.

I heard him walk out of the cage and then come back again and something heavy fell on my back before he locked the cage again and plunged us back in the dark.

"Why are you doing all this?" Cole murmured a few seconds later while I struggled to keep the tears from falling in spite of the unbearable pain that suddenly burst in my back.

"I... Wait..." I muttered as dark spots appeared behind my eyelids. "I'm not feeling so well..." I added when what I really wanted to tell him was that I didn't want to lose my dash of color.

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"Don't, Uncle!" Why was Cole shouting?

"Out of all the girls in your school it had to be her!" Mr. Bradford growled and I was suddenly lifted in the air by the back of my sweater. I winced at how painful everything seemed to be. Even opening my eyes hurt. "Why her?!" The giant of a man asked, shaking me like a ragged doll in the process.

"I don't know, ok?!" Cole cried out. "In spite of everything she was going through day after day with her crazy father, she still walked with her head held high at school and had a group of tight friends while managing to get good grades and play varsity volleyball..."